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Customers always ask us “How can I get more storage out of my closet space?”

There’s a growing array of exciting new products to meet those specialized needs. The newest addition is the Motorized Closet Lift from Häfele. This beautiful and functional product was recently featured on the nationally syndicated George to the Rescue show as the closet solution of choice for a young man in a wheelchair. It’s also an excellent solution for extremely high ceiling heights or for living in place needs, whether related to age, sports injuries or other range of mobility challenges.
How it works: Using a remote control, the Motorized Closet Lift lowers a full closet rod of hanging clothing to an easily reachable height; the vertical lowering range can be customized. If you want to see it in motion for yourself, it’s locally installed and available for viewing at the Symmetry Closets Factory/Showroom in Holbrook, NY.
“The Motorized Closet Life from Häfele is the ideal way to reclaim space and build either your closet or laundry area up, not out,” explains Scott Kaminski, Häfele’s Marketing Communications & PR Manager. “Our customers love that the wireless remote means the hardware does the work, not you.” The Closet Lift is also available in a manual, pull-down version.

The closet has changed. Long gone are the days when outfitting a custom closet was a simple choice between polished chrome or brass closet rods and then some fancy decorative hardware. Nowadays, we have a lot more stuff, as well as a lot more real estate devoted to our closet areas. Dream closets complete with in-drawer electrical outlets, lighted or color-coordinated wardrobe tubes, built-in USB ports for thirsty devices and integrated, pull-out ironing boards are just the beginning.

https://symmetryclosets.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/jan-blog.jpg329468adminhttps://symmetryclosets.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Updated-Symmetry-Logo_010719-300x128.jpgadmin2019-01-05 19:31:412019-05-10 15:38:04Symmetry talks about Inspired lighting, accessories and so much more in this months House Magazine.

OUR FEATURED DESIGNER
Wendy Lepkoff, Owner of Wendy Interiors

Wendy Lepkoff, Owner of Wendy Interiors

How Symmetry Closets and Wendy Interiors Began Collaborating

Wendy and Bonnie have worked together on projects for several years, and have since cultivated a wonderful rapport through working together at the Interior Design Society, Long Island Chapter.
“Wendy’s concern with her clients is to not only make her client’s home more beautiful but much more functional. She fully appreciates how important solving storage issues are. And she works through those details, of what they want to keep or what they want to replace, with her clients. By making storage a priority, she is able to deliver a clean, highly functional interior space, and her clients love and appreciate it.” – Bonnie Reich, president of Symmetry Closets

About Wendy Lepkoff
Long Island, New York based Wendy Lepkoff specializes in residential interior design projects. Wendy Interiors, Inc. is a full service design studio offering design consultation, space planning, custom furniture design and space renovations.
Wendy creates custom interiors with a collected feel that reflect the personality/vision of her clients. She seeks out furniture and accessories and assembles collections of unique pieces for her projects. Wendy is an excellent guide throughout the design process. Knowledgeable and intuitive, she has an ability to articulate visually and verbally exactly what her clients seek. From the grand view, down to the most intricate detail, Wendy’s finesse enlivens any room.

Design Backstory: East Hampton Vibes

This home began as a bachelor pad. When the homeowner got married, he promised his wife that they would redo the townhouse. The wife is a very organized person and preferred everything to have its place.
The clients wanted to make the most out of the limited space they had. This was a challenge because the 2-bedroom townhome did not have a garage or basement for extra storage. Wendy needed to find a way to utilize every possible space. Wendy and Bonnie determined how to overcome this obstacle. The result: the neutral, relaxed design remained consistent throughout the kitchen and living room area, into the home office and other built in storage areas. All-white, shaker style, custom built ins in the home office created a clean-cut and streamlined appearance.

Although the home office has more of a contemporary vibe than the rest of the interior design, there are still seaside details distributed lightly throughout the space.

Classic White Bedroom Closet —Storage with Style

The theme throughout the home was an updated, fresh and organized look. From the light fixtures to the lighter pieces of wood placed in different areas of the home, and the silver and chrome hardware – the home has a complete, consistent vision—and Wendy makes the whole project appear effortless.
To ensure the space was utilized to its greatest organizational potential, Bonnie measured everything the clients own, including vacuum cleaners, cat carriers, coolers, beach chairs, folding chairs, blankets, wrapping paper, etc. The client was able to fit everything into their new closet with room to spare.

A Charming Kitchen and Living Room With Maximum Cabinet Space

Wendy needed to find creative storage solutions for the clients. She was able to do that by moving their washer/dryer upstairs, adding pantry space. She continued the kitchen cabinetry into the dining room, to create a generous amount of counter space and cabinet space.

“I came, I went, I conquered,
that felt so good.”
– Wendy Interiors

Wendy explains a little bit about why she enjoys working with Bonnie on these special projects, “Having Symmetry Closets do the clients wall of bedroom closets and walk in closet saved them the space they
needed for a closet in their office as there was no clothing overflow from the bedroom. The office closet literally became their garage/basement.

Symmetry Closet Receives Super Service Award: Angie’s List 2015

Symmetry Closet Earns Esteemed 2015 Angie’s List Super Service Award

Symmetry Closet has earned the service industry’s coveted Angie’s List Super Service Award, reflecting an exemplary year of service provided to members of the local services marketplace and consumer review site in 2015.

“We are honored to receive this celebrated recognition of our commitment to customer service and excellent storage,”

said Bill Kahn, Vice President,SYMMETRY CLOSETS

“We love working with our Angie’s List clients, and we look forward to building beautiful home offices, laundry rooms, pantries, garages, mud rooms, entertainment storage, and of course closets, for many years to come.”

“Only about 5% of Custom Closets companies in the New York Metro Area have performed so consistently well enough to earn our Super Service Award,” said Angie’s List Founder Angie Hicks. “It’s a really high standard.”
Angie’s List Super Service Award 2015 winners have met strict eligibility requirements, which include an “A” rating in overall grade, recent grade, and review period grade; the company must be in good standing with Angie’s List, pass a background check and abide by Angie’s List operational guidelines.
Angie’s List helps facilitate happy transactions between more than three million consumers nationwide and its collection of highly rated service providers in more than 720 categories of service, ranging from home improvement to health care. Built on a foundation of more than 10 million verified reviews of local service, Angie’s List connects consumers directly to its online marketplace of services from member-reviewed providers, and offers unique tools and support designed to improve the local services experience for both consumers and service professionals.

The Secret History of the Closet

Blog Written by Nancy Mitchell apartment therapy
You probably think of a closet as a little room where you hang up your clothes. But for much of its history, the closet has served a completely different purpose entirely.

Modern Walk-in Closet

Come back with me, if you will, to the Middle Ages. In the Middle Ages having a bedroom was a bit of a privilege — most common folks slept either on the floor of the great hall of the manor where they lived, or in the single room that served them as kitchen, living room, dining room, and bedroom all in one. Only very wealthy people had bedrooms, and they used their bedrooms not just for sleeping but also for working and entertaining important guests. The bedroom, at this time, was not a very private place. So where could you go if you wanted a little time alone?
Enter the closet.
At the end of the Medieval period, well-to-do homeowners began adding ‘closets’ adjoining their bedrooms. The closet was a place to store treasured possessions, but it was also a place for prayer, reading, and quiet contemplation. It was by far the most private place in the house, and to this day the word “closet” can carry a meaning of secrecy and privacy. If two people retreat to a secluded spot to have a conversation, they can be said to be closeted together. A “closet racist” is someone who hides their views from the world. (This particular meaning of the word closet may have contributed to the phrase ‘come out of the closet’, although according to Mentalfloss this particular metaphor was not used by the gay community until the 1960s.)

Modern Walk-in Closet

In Europe the closet eventually disappeared, as houses grew larger and other rooms afforded opportunities for privacy. But the Puritans took the idea of a closet with them to the New World — although it had become by then simply a place to store things. Of course, closets are not nearly as prevalent in older houses. There might not even be one in every bedroom, because people then had a lot less clothing, and they were a lot more likely to store their clothes in a chest or armoire than hang them up in a closet. (The coat hanger, in fact, wasn’t even invented until 1869.)
Today the closet is enjoying a bit of a zenith, owing to the fact that many modern Americans own (what would have been considered by the Puritans at least) simply enormous amounts of clothes. The mania for luxury closets has even led to closets outfitted with sofas, vanities, or desks, making them a sort of retiring room/boudoir in addition to a storage space. Which means that these closets have, in fact, come completely full circle.
This post was inspired by and owes much to Lucy Worley’s fascinating book about the history of the home, If Walls Could Talk. It will make you, I guarantee, a completely fascinating dinner party conversationalist, able to wax eloquent about thing like how often medieval people bathed (spoiler: they didn’t) and historical attitudes towards beards.
Author:
Nancy Mitchell
As a Senior Writer at Apartment Therapy, Nancy splits her time among looking at beautiful pictures, writing about design, and photographing stylish apartments in and around NYC.
It’s not a bad gig.

https://symmetryclosets.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Updated-Symmetry-Logo_010719-300x128.jpg00adminhttps://symmetryclosets.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Updated-Symmetry-Logo_010719-300x128.jpgadmin2017-05-05 15:14:112019-05-10 18:58:01The Secret History of the Closet

An Organized Home Office for Any Room Size

By Bill Kahn, Custom Closet Professional and former Vice President of Symmetry Closets.

Let’s face it… in the days of smart phones, high-speed internet and Wi-Fi, the work day doesn’t stop when we get home.

We all have projects or tasks that we need to do in the “off hours.” Many of us have started our own home-based businesses, or perhaps we telecommute a few days a week. More so, when the day is done, almost all of us need a dedicated workspace in our homes where we can “drop off” all the dead weight. Now at this point in our thought-process is where we start to think we just don’t have the space.
This is how our dining room and kitchen tables become our home office space. Eventually, it may graduate to a small writing desk or card table in an unused corner. Our filing system consists of piles of paperwork and folders strewn about the table and any other nearby surface. We end up eating in front of the TV since there’s no room at the table. Our paperwork and bills are out in front of us all the time, the work day never truly ends and we’re always stressed-out. We think we don’t have the space to put it all away without misplacing it.
Well, we’re wrong.
A home office doesn’t need to be a separate room with a door that closes us off from the rest of the world. A good work space can be a small surface that can fit the laptop, has some filing space and room for office supplies. Maybe there’s even room for a printer, but the important thing is to have someplace to put it all when we’re done with our day.

An organized office needs:

A file cabinet. Most of us only need one drawer.

Box up anything over a year old and put in a closet or other storage area.

Or scan your documents for electronic filing (back up often to a separate device).

Remember to go through and shred any personal financial documents over seven years old. (Business owners should keep those for ten years.)

A drawer for pens, paper clips, power cords and other small office supplies.

Maybe a closed cabinet with a slide-out shelf for the printer.

Space for extra paper, pads, binders and books.

A custom designed work-station eases stress and creates an escape in the home that we never realized possible. We all need to relax, and putting the work day away is one of the best ways to start.

OUR FEATURED DESIGNER
Adam Cassino, Adam Cassino Design

Photo courtesy of Adam Cassino Designs

How Symmetry Closets and Adam Cassino Design Began Collaborating:

“A colleague of mine recommended Symmetry Closets to Adam when he realized he would need an expert closet designer for this project. When we spoke about the designs for the client’s ‘his and hers’ walk-in closets Adam knew exactly what he wanted and he gave us very detailed directions when it came time to install.
That’s the nice thing about him, he knows exactly what he wants and expresses his design expectations very clearly, which makes the process that much easier for us.
Bonnie wasn’t a part of the entire design and renovation process but she recalls the amount of precision Adam and his team exhibited, “Adam makes decisions quickly and efficiently and that make a large complex project move faster.” This applied to Bonnie’s part in designing the client’s two walk-in closets, “Adam gave us a very realistic time frame to produce the order and install it to the exact specifications he requested. We are in the design phase of another project with Adam and we’re enjoying the process.”

About Adam Cassino
A New York City native who is passionate about all things design, Adam is trained in several interconnected fields that lend him to be a well -rounded designer and problem solver. Priding himself on customer service, Adam is known for developing long -term, intimate relationships with his clients, making himself always available and approachable, often far beyond the completion of a project.
Adam’s range of knowledge in engineering, design, architecture, and real estate is beneficial when working directly with architects, contractors, and other design individuals. His diversified background, coupled with innate talent, a well-received demeanor, and strong work ethic, allow Adam to achieve great success in his projects, and a high level of gratitude and satiation in his client base.

Design Backstory: Luxury Interior Design for the Entire Home

“Believe it or not, the interior of this 6,500 square feet family home started out as gothic and heavy. Our client brought us in before purchasing and asked if we could transform it into a light and airy transitional feel that they loved; we clearly could.
Without delay, remodeling began, and in less than a year this now updated transitional home is a delight to be in. We changed the color palette of the entire home, changed stone surfaces, flooring, bathrooms, kitchen finishes, all lighting, and added elegant woodwork detail throughout. Now fully furnished in exquisite, comfortable, and usable pieces, this home has far surpassed our client’s expectations and is a beloved space for the family.”

A Homeowner’s Dream Come True: Interior Design Ideas Come To Life

Our time working with Adam has been nothing short of amazing. He brings innovative thinking, an innate technical mind, & a sharp eye for all things beautiful. These qualities combined have created the most incredible spaces in our home. His visions of a space are always creative while closely paying attention to the functionality of the room. He has become not only our designer but a dear friend in the process. He has a keen sense in getting to know his client which allows his work to reflect our own personal style throughout our home.
We worked on many projects that involved designing from scratch custom pieces in our work spaces, closets, and living areas. Adam was always on the ball with every detail of the technical aspect of the work. He inherently understood how each space & the furnishings should fit & flow together. This goes for all parts of the design process from our unbelievable entry chandeliers to the placement of our towels and trays in our bathrooms.
His eye for details, color, and style comes naturally to him. The process of creating our new home could have been overwhelming to us. It ended up being the most exciting and special time because we had Adam to guide us.

His and Her Master Bedroom
Closet Designs: A Match Made In Heaven

Clean lines and an overall lighter feel throughout the home was achieved in the design project over the course of about a year. At that point the closets were finally in sight for the husband and wife. The clients wanted their closets to appear classy and leaning more on the extravagant side to match the rest of their newly designed home. The wife wanted plenty of room for her shoes and handbags, and for them to display like a upscale dressing room. She also wanted even more drawer space, so they decided to put in a peninsula attached to the wall with a stunning white marble top.
Follow Adam on Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/adamcassinodesign/Visit her website:http://adamcassinodesign.com/

Multitasking Extraordinaire: Spring Clean, Prep for Taxes and Help Charity–all at the same time?

The Start of Long Island NY Spring 2016

This time of year, our thoughts turn to Spring, and Taxes…so logically, Tax Deductions as well. A conversation with our Tax Adviser got us thinking about these connections.

In honor of the Season, let’s consider some ways that Spring Cleaning can—literally—help the world. Think that’s a large statement? Well, try this on for size:

Spring Cleaning:

Clothing: By February, with the hats and coats, gloves and boots always needed, you may never want to see a sweater again. That’s a perfect time to take a look at your winter clothing situation. At this point in the season, if you or your family hasn’t worn it, you really can ask why it’s occupying valuable real estate in your closets. Now, there may be good reasons. It was the sweater you were married in…ok, you get a pass. But, while the weather is still keeping us stuck indoors, let’s start a pile of clothes to give away.
Coat Closets: This is an obvious one—if the winter coat hasn’t been worn by now… Often the coats we don’t wear are the ones we keep around because we liked them once. Of course, keep the dressy coat. Just so long as it fits. But when the coat closet is too full for guest’s jackets, because we’re keeping coats that don’t fit or are out of fashion, we certainly have the choice to let those go. Someone who doesn’t have a coat would love to have one! And wouldn’t it be nice to have some space in there? Start a pile.
Pantry: If you’re anything like me, by February, you’ve run through your entire soup and stew repertoire. You’ve used many canned, jarred, and dried goods. This is a good time to question: How committed am I to learning how to cook mung beans? Or, am I ever actually going to serve this jarred pasta sauce I bought on sale…in September? Your pantry is likely too full, with pasta you bought two boxes of and just didn’t like, with … you can fill in the blank. You get the idea—start a pile. This food is valuable nutrition someone else can use. And, you get the bonus of freeing up space for food you like and will serve your family.

Helping the World & Charitable Tax Deductions:

There are two ways you can help the world by giving away stuff you don’t need:

You free up your personal emotional energy. This is a serious statement. By keeping stuff we don’t need or even want, every time you open the closet/pantry/coat closet, you see this stuff that causes you stress. You know that that coat hasn’t fit in a while. And you know that you just don’t like that pasta and feel like you wasted money on it. We can all use less stress. We actually feel lighter when we release this stuff. And, you free up room on your shelves and closet rods for new opportunities. You make space for trying a new look, for trying the quinoa recipe or even for buying that bread machine you’ve wanted but couldn’t fit on your shelves. Give it a try—you’ll like it.

You help other people who live right here, nearby—who can really use the stuff we don’t want. And this is the Tax Deduction for next year. We’ve compiled a list of local charities we know and love. We suggest that if you want to clear up some space by donating clothing or other items, that you consider these worthy charities:

Donate to Charities:

Dress for Success: Donate professional women’s clothing in good condition. The mission of Dress for Success is to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire, and the development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. https://newyork.dressforsuccess.org/

Mercy First: Provides a home for children who need one and offers life skills programs for older children, including cooking, food safety, etc. Donate dishes, pots, kitchen supplies. Also can use tables & chairs for young folks moving into permanent adult housing. Please contact Ellen Miller 516-921-0808.

ReStore: Habitat for Humanity ReStores are nonprofit home improvement stores and donation centers that sell new and gently used furniture, appliances, home accessories, building materials and more to the public at a fraction of the retail price. Proceeds are used to build homes, community, and hope locally and around the world. http://www.habitat.org/restores

The Book Fairies: Donate gently used children’s books to this tax deductible charity. The books go to schools, libraries and non-profit organizations to enrich the lives of children by encouraging a love of reading. Contact info@thebookfairies.org for details.

Long Island Cares: Works with affiliates to bring food to food pantries. Food Locator link http://www.licares.org/find-help/food-locator/

Ronald McDonald House of LI. Once a house is built, it is completely supported by charitable donations, which can include household items and packaged food. The foundation only supports the initial construction of each house. Contact: Jennifer Nicholson, Director of Special Projects 718-343-5683/516-775-5683 x158, jnicholson@rmhlongisland.org

It’s truly a win-win. You can free up your storage space and clear out emotional baggage too. This is a convenient way to help our neighbors, and to help ourselves too—while banking some Tax Deductions for next year!

How to Play with Color and Texture

Every year, the design community selects a color of the year for décor, and for fashion. This year, it’s Marsala! The rich ruby color is everywhere—from fashion runways to accessories. If you work with an interior designer, they’ll have the colors and styles factored into their unique design for your space. When we partner with designers, they help select the paint colors that will illuminate your rooms, and also the coordinating wallpaper, fabric textures and closet color to enhance your experience of your spaces.
When it comes to storage design, we can customize that to almost any use. For visual impact, the key factors are shown well in the handsome Long Island office shown to the right.
There’s a dramatic contrast between the white cabinets and the limited use of the stunning wall color. The strong linear impact of the door/drawer pulls and the curvy wallpaper pattern make for a highly functional and beautiful working space.

The complementary colors are chosen to pair well with Marsala. As you can see in the selection below, these can be utilized to modulate the dominant color, or can be simply used on their own.

We’ve designed closets to complement these shades in many contexts. Pantries are an area truly designed for “tasty” colors. Whether it’s an open or closed door space, it’s an opportunity for a fun shot of color—in a way that doesn’t require the commitment of a whole room.

Another color-friendly space for those new to color is the children’s closets. These are fantastic spaces for a touch of whimsy—and given a little time, the kids will grow into a new space anyway. You can design these to your colorful heart’s content!

https://symmetryclosets.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Updated-Symmetry-Logo_010719-300x128.jpg00adminhttps://symmetryclosets.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Updated-Symmetry-Logo_010719-300x128.jpgadmin2016-10-05 14:51:052019-05-10 19:06:06How to Play with Color and Texture

OUR FEATURED DESIGNER
Anne Marie Virgilio, Interiors by Anne Marie

How Symmetry Closets and Anne Marie Virgilio Began a Design Collaboration:

Anne Marie met us at Symmetry Closets through The Interior Design Society, Long Island Chapter, about two years ago – she was looking for custom closet design services to pair with her interior design projects. Since we’re both part of the same design-focused trade group, we work well together–it was a perfect fit. We originally met at a local IDS meeting – she had a project with Symmetry Closets in mind. Anne Marie met with one of our closet designers at her project site, where we worked out the design concept with her and developed plans and 3D renderings to discuss with the client. We’ve collaborated on several projects since.

About Anne Marie

Anne Marie Virgilio, of Interiors by Anne Marie, has established a reputation among her clients for her timeless and sophisticated interior design for the home. Anne Marie has a talent of combining classic style with modern elegance. Her vast experience in the study of color is evident throughout her design schemes and wide range of interior design services.

With over 2 decades of experience, Anne Marie takes the time to listen to what her clients’ needs are and is able to implement their vision into a dream come true. She oversees every aspect of the project and takes her client from inspiration to installation. Interiors by Anne Marie is a full-service design firm. Anne Marie is an associate member of the Interior Design Society.

INTERIORS BY ANNE MARIE

OUR FIRST FEATURED PROJECT-Playful and Practical

Photography by Nicole Larson

The Kids Room-Converts to Home Entertainment Concept

This family has young children who required a centralized play space. We repurposed this area, between the living room & kitchen, to become a beautiful kids room, with toy storage space—with the ability to quickly put away toys behind doors and in drawers, and still stay organized. There’s a window seat, shelving for toys and books, and more. All with elegant shaker style cabinets and crown molding.

Children Grow Up So Fast

Of course, one day soon the children will no longer need this play space next to the family room & kitchen. What then? Anne Marie commissioned the proportions of the shorter wall unit to be a suitable future buffet and dry bar area. A simple change-out of the playful knobs, some decorative items on the counter surface, and this kid’s play area becomes a sophisticated home entertainment area.

Why Custom Built-Ins?

As you can see in this image, built-in cabinets are the most efficient way to fit storage into narrow spaces—because you don’t even need to leave space for the base trim! Consider built-in wall storage for a hallway or a narrow dining room. We added the decorative side panels here to harmonize with the formal dining room to the right.

OUR SECOND FEATURED PROJECT-New World Home Office, Old World Elegance

Photography by Nicole Larson

Efficient, Compact Office Space Planning

The client needed a handsome and functional home office work environment, easy to clean up and comfortable enough to work in all day. Anne Marie combined all her client’s needs into this efficient space using some tricks:

The room isn’t that big but the ceiling is tall. Running the custom office cabinets to the ceiling with crown molding makes this small home office seem huge.